Catching the eye: The Hindu redesigned was news at the stands on Thursday. A scene in Chennai.  Photo: K. V. Srinivasan

Congratulations

Congratulations to The Hindu on its new appearance. I really like the way you look! Not just classical but contemporary, as you have yourself proclaimed, but also clean and uncluttered. The paper has a welcome crisp feel to it. In addition, it seems more old Europe than new America and that too I find endearing. Vive le Hindoo!

Karan Thapar,
New Delhi

Looks like The Hindu , hitherto a conservative gentleman wearing starched, spotless white dhoti, shirt and zari angavastram has overnight metamorphosed into a modern man in jeans, T shirt, sporting goggles, i-pod, mobile and a I-can-also-do-it-smirk.

A south Indian seems to have returned to India after a long stay in the U.S.  with sartorial changes and yet the basic sterling character obstinately intact. Congratulations.

J.S. Raghavan,
Chennai

The new look of The Hindu is superb. It looks completely modern and yet retains its soul. Congratulations to N. Ram and his team. Our salutations also on this occasion to the great builders of The Hindu  including the late G. Subramanya Iyer and Kasturiranga Iyengar.

G.K. Vasan,
Member of Parliament, Chennai

The magic wand

The metamorphism effected by the wand of Mario Garcia on The Hindu is amazing. Hats off to him and the management of The Hindu who thought it fit to bring about a total change. Change is after all the only permanent thing in the world.

K.R.A. Narasiah,
Chennai

Sir,  The new design with blurbs and infoboxes will surely make a casual reader, the headline scanner, more serious. It enhances the get-up and makes readability easy. The Hindu of New Year looks like a Madras woman in Chennai attire.

A.V. Narayanan,
Tiruchi, T.N.

As a subscriber of 30 years, I feel the new look is excellent. As always, your readers will readily accept any change in font style and design.

N. Nivedita,
Chennai

The new format is a welcome change and distinguishes it further from other newspapers in India. It also shows that The Hindu is the only newspaper that sees itself as a service to its readers and not just a business.

N.S. Rajaram,
Bangalore

A well thought of change attempted at providing better reading deserves to be welcomed or at least experimented with. But devoting a whole section to this change and explaining it in such detail were unnecessary. A paper of The Hindu 's repute need not blow its own trumpet so loudly.

C. Seethapathy,
Chennai

I could not believe my eyes when I saw The Hindu today. There can be no second opinion that the redesigning is impressive, starting from the masthead. But I suggest that you stick to the old style of printing the date below the masthead.

V. Pandy,
Tuticorin, T.N.

The Hindu has certainly lived up to its claim of always classic, always contemporary.

P. Narasimha Murthy,
Secunderabad

The new look is at once arresting. The redesign is eye-catching. It is truly classic and truly contemporary. May I suggest that you reintroduce "Points from letters" which was in vogue in the 1950s?

V.N. Gopal,
Chennai

It is great to see The Hindu sporting a new look. It is more attractive. At the same time, it makes no compromise on high journalistic standards. Here is a suggestion  print the date of the paper below the masthead on the editorial page for easy reference.

S. Nallasivan,
Tirunelveli, T.N.

The change is for the better  better layout, enhanced readability and innovation in keeping with the times. I hope the circulation increases and the price is brought down as The Hindu 's competitors sell at one-third to half its price.

Ramanathan Muthiah,
Thiruvananthapuram

It is certain that the new look The Hindu will attract young readers like me who scan news rather than read through fully. Your team has done a great job.

K. Kailash,
Chidambaram, T.N.

The navigation system and the improved use of space are commendable. The Pure Design is high on visual appeal and makes the paper reader-friendly.

Thomas Kurian,
Thrissur, Kerala

I was surprised to find the dateline for the news items missing. Thousands of people like me are in the habit of keeping press cuttings year-wise. I appeal to you to revert to the old system of printing dateline for the news. This is something we have become accustomed to for decades.

T.S. Govindarajan,
Hyderabad

Great look

As an avid reader of The Hindu, I love the new look and feel of the newspaper. The size of the newspaper could have been smaller though.

N. Sajith,
Bangalore

The Hindu now possesses the style of an international newspaper. The only major difference is that the price seems to be always on the rise. Even by international standards, The Hindu has become expensive.

J. Hubert Chandran,
Chennai

The new look is really useful; reading has been made very easy. I am happy the format has not been changed.

V.S. Sundara Rajan,
Bangalore

Congrats and thanks for the wonderful Tamizh Puthaandu Parisu (Tamil New Year gift).

S.K. Ramasubramanian,
Chennai

The new format is indeed good but what people like me would perhaps prefer is a sort of contents list on the front page.

Despite all the price wars, The Hindu has been able to hold its own only because of its special features.

N. Anantaraman,
Chennai

The design is a welcome change and enhances the brightness and overall white space. Selection of typeface, size, and positioning of illustrations make for a balanced and attractive whole.

V.S. Raman,
Chennai

The Hindu has become more reader-friendly. The new design is a great comfort to the eyes. As readers of the paper for over three decades, we welcome this New Year gift.

H.K. Lakshman Rao, Shantha Rao, Ravi, Anand, Aravind, Viji,

Sumitra &Vidhya,
Chennai

The layout has given the newspaper a refreshing look. The reduction of the editorial from two columns to one has made it easier to read.

H.P. Murali,
Bangalore

Extremely happy

Two years ago, I wrote to you saying the editorial page would have a much better look if it had the daily cartoon. I am extremely happy that my suggestion has become a reality. It is absolutely necessary that the date, month and year are mentioned below the caption of the editorial.

T.S. Pattabhi Raman,
Coimbatore, T.N.

Congratulations on the new look. The Hindu has become more reader-friendly with easy-to-read fonts and short texts.

R. Rajaram,
Chennai

The Hindu's vision, presentation and message to society are crystal clear. The changed newspaper, including the masthead, is appealing.

K.P. Ashok Kumar,
Thiruvananthapuram

The newly designed paper has come as a welcome change and truly reflects the contemporary- classical combine. Master designer Garcia has captured the spirit of The Hindu .

Kesavan Nair,
Thrissur, Kerala

A pleasant surprise. I had a fixed image of the front page of The Hindu since I last saw it in December 2003. Nevertheless, I can guess that much has changed in India since I left. The Hindu has striven to be part of those changes in the best possible way.

Aravind Kesavan,
Brisbane, Australia

When living in India I always bought The Hindu but am now tied down to my computer in Toronto. It would be nice if you were to put a PDF or a PNG image of the newspaper in its "new clothes" on your website.

David Slocombe,
Toronto, Canada

The Hindu of April 14 left me dumbfounded. The design and make-up had overnight become different. The change augurs well for the paper.

K.L. Raman,
Chennai

The paper completely wowed me today. It had everything a reader wants except contemporary design. That has also been included now.

Rahul K. Mishra,
New Delhi

Sir,  The Hindu has rightly decided to change and move on with the times. It has indeed given the esteemed and highly respected daily a fresh and elegant look. I join the ever-growing list of young enthusiastic readers in wishing you the very best.

Sunil Bharadwaj,
New Delhi

Sir,  The best part for me in the new-look paper is the editorial page. The minimal change in the layout of the Letters to the Editor column and the editorials has transformed it into a classic.

K. Deenadayal,
Salem, T.N.

Innovative captions

The new design is sure to attract all. I agree that today's youth spare very little time for reading a newspaper and therefore it is necessary that it catches their attention with innovative captions, visuals and headlines.

P.S. Gireesh Kumar,
Karur, T.N.

The eye-catching masthead in blue was a pleasant surprise. Ample use of white space in respect of text as well as photographs is such a relief. Hope the advertisements also match up to the new elegance.

P.S. Raju,
Hyderabad

The new look is breathtaking. I was wondering whether the newspaper vendor had given me the wrong paper this morning.

Kenny Roger Moise,
Chennai

Changes always bring in good things, be it for an individual, an organisation or the country. I am sure The Hindu will continue to provide us with the light of truth and excellence.

Ajit Oke,
Bangalore

The introduction of the new look is appropriate and timely. Change is the one constant thing and it is applicable to journalism also.

R. Srinivasan,
Madurai, T.N.

Love at first sight

I fell in love with the new look of The Hindu at first sight. Its new font style and colours have made it more reader-friendly.

S.K. Seeralan,
Tiruchi, T.N.

This morning, I was pleasantly surprised to see the gorgeous new look of my favourite newspaper. I spent sometime imbibing the new design, which is indeed a great work of art. The use of blurbs is indeed good, as it gives a quick overview of the story.

Vimarsh Bajpai,
New Delhi

The Hindu has always been first whether it was to do with the launching of website or introduction of new technology.

The new look is attractive. The headlines are easier to read, but the font size in smaller. Addition of blurbs and infoboxes is welcome.

Preetinder Singh,
Patiala, Punjab

It is an innovative move towards modern journalism. Three cheers to the editorial team.

Binu Daniel,
Madurai, T.N.

The classic, colourful and elegant redesign indeed seemed like a déjà vu  an ideal festival gift to your readers.

A. Vani,
Hyderabad

Beginning Tamil New Year, The Hindu has worn a new look, without in any way deviating from a tradition spanning over a century and a quarter. It is pleasing to the eyes and one does not have to grope for news.

C.S. Sukhavanam,
Coimbatore

Congratulations on making The Hindu more reader friendly. Designing is distinctly different and innovative.

G.S. Sundararajan,
Chennai

The new look is pleasing, reader friendly and lesser strain on the eyes. Mr. Garcia deserves a pat for bringing the reputed daily to international standards.

T. Prabhakara Rao,
Machilipatnam, A.P.

A visual treat

The new look is a visual treat. It is easy on the eyes and the photographs are impressive. Whether paid advertisements should be on the front page or not is a matter of opinion.

D.B.N. Murthy,
Bangalore

The new look is a pleasant experience, especially for elders like me. The changes in the fonts, news headers, infoboxes and navigators make it attractive.

G. Kothandaraman,
Chennai

The new design gives the paper an elegant look. The front page and the editorial page look very impressive. The new colour palette mixes are also charming.

Bandiwar Ravindra,
Adilabad, A.P.

Congratulations for introducing a new design. However, we miss data on sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset.

B. Krishnakumar,
Secunderabad, A.P.

Even as The Hindu has now acquired a nicer look, the new presentation has imparted some clumsiness to it. Accommodation for more letters, a long overdue reform, is welcome.

G. Jagannathan,
Dharmapuri, T.N.

You are wearing a great new look. It is indeed more than what we, the readers, expected.

K. Sivasubramanian,
Chennai

The Hindu has grown not just because it follows the core values of journalism but also because of the way it presents news. When it decides to change, it goes all out. As the Ad Kingdom has conquered the last page of the April 14 issue, can we say it is commercial yet convertible?
A.J. Rangarajan,

Chennai

The change is difficult to accept. More so from a traditional paper such as The Hindu . Having said that, the attempt to integrate and gain acceptance from the younger generation is evident in the many positives.

K. Chandrasekar,
Chennai

It was a pleasant feeling to go through the new look paper. The design has made it more visually exciting and attractive. The concept of "pure design" as explained by Mr. Garcia made interesting reading.

Priya M. Meenakshi,
Chennai

A masterstroke

The new look is indeed a masterstroke that should pass muster with even the most discerning of readers. The Hindu has proved again that it is amenable to new trends.

Rajeswari Jayaraman,
Chennai

The colours on the front page were pleasant. Overall, the design is good but the inner pages look very similar to some American and British newspapers. I also hope that some of the lost features/sections (Science Supplement, Saturday Sports Special, etc.) make a comeback.

B. Aswin Kumar,
Chennai

A welcome change indeed. The Hindu is a newspaper dedicated to the cause of the nation and possesses a never-ending bond with the people.

A. Subashchandran,
Chennai

The paper has acquired an added elegance. The change at the top of the front page is impressive, with day and date easily noticeable. The disappearance of the ear panels lends the paper good appeal.

The new look goes well with the landmark achievement of the paper in crossing the one million mark in paid-up circulation. The Hindu 's bond with millions of readers has been further strengthened.

N.K. Vijayan,
Kizhakkaambalam, Kerala

Out of curiosity, I compared today's issue with the past issues page by page. The lines that used to separate news items have given way to more spacing between columns and there is a welcome change in the typography. Easy navigation makes reading a pleasure especially for readers who rush through the paper for want of time in the morning.

Crossword puzzle-solvers need not search for a scribble pad any longer, thanks to the blank workspace you have caringly provided below the puzzle.

Annapoorani Ramanan,
Chennai

Any change in look and presentation is welcome. But we feel the new model more or less resembles the Times of India. You should have gone for something absolutely new and fresh.

A. Uma & P. Thirumalai Kolundu Subramanian,
Madurai, T.N.

Astounding

The new design is well executed and the changes are astounding. The highlighting promos are a splendid shrunken chunk guiding us with a worthy delineate of the entire report.

B. Ananda Narayanan,
Chennai

The paper has struck the right balance between a contemporary set-up and the rich values it has been upholding for over a century and a half. Also thanks for keeping the flame of credibility and integrity in journalism intact.

Dewaker Basnet,
Bangalore

An avid reader of the paper for over five decades, I have been watching with discerning eyes the "evolutionary changes in layout and design."

R. Somasundaram,
Chennai

Trying to re-design a venerable paper such as The Hindu is hazardous as you could end up damaging the core. However, Mr. Garcia has managed it well.

R. Janakiraman,
Cheyyar, T.N.

It was a treat to the eye. The icon of Indian journalism has a refreshing, young look.

S. Krishnashankar,
Chennai

As we all know, nothing is permanent except change. It is quite exciting to read the new look paper. Keep it up.

Meenakshi Chandiramani,
New Delhi

The change in layout, typeface, display and presentation is to be welcomed since it was long overdue. However, there is still a lot of conservatism in the content and this has to be re-oriented to the fast-changing tastes.

T.S. Nagarajan,
Chennai

The new look paper with all its usual contents is easy on the eyes. Mr. Garcia has succeeded in his commendable efforts.

A. Ramanathan,
Chennai

When I decided to leave 25 years of loyalty to an English newspaper for The Hindu from April 2005, I wondered whether it was the right decision. Today's new look paper confirmed that I made the correct decision.

Nicholas Francis,
Madurai, T.N.

I was thrilled on receiving Thursday morning's paper. True to your claim you have become contemporary while retaining the classicism of the old. I would have liked you to retain the round types for the main headlines.

G. Krishnankutty Nair,
Thiruvananthapuram

Lovely design

The new look has given the paper an international character. However, it will be good if you could make some kind of design or marking to differentiate between two news stories. The present format is a bit confusing. All in all, a lovely design.
Baskar C.S.,

Chennai

An amazing look. I had felt for some time now that it was time The Hindu started looking like one of the leading newspapers in the world, which it already is.

Kumar Ramachandran,
Melbourne

The new look paper is "superb, yet excellent: excellent yet superb." Its main strengths are that it is easily navigable and has an improved presentation.

R. Kannan,
Chennai

I saw the new layout in the PDF format. It was very impressive. The change is in tune with the newspaper's modernisation efforts.

Rajesh Padmanabhan,
New South Wales, Australia

A marvellous new look for a 126-year-old paper. The striking interstate font; a good navigation system with promos, infoboxes, blurbs; a clear order of news items; and organised visual elements go to give an appealing look. A change in the right direction has always had a place in the ever-evolving Indian society.

Kanthi Pinnamaraju,
Visakhapatnam, A.P.

Well done. I have been reading The Hindu since 1955 and have witnessed the historic changes you and your excellent team have made.

H. Paderborn,
Chennai

Auspicious

On this Tamil New Year's day I felt happy when The Hindu appeared in blue. Blue is considered more auspicious than black. The types are bold and easily readable even by elderly people.

M.S. Raghavan,
Madurai, T.N.

I totally agree with the principle behind the change: to remain classical yet contemporary. For me, the greatest pleasure was in seeing the masthead section without all those boxy advertisements. The "preview" section beneath it is a welcome entry.

D. Ravi Kumar,
Chennai

Personally, I've always found text in serif fonts hard to read, but the one chosen for the redesign  chronicle  is nice. It has the good characteristics and elegance of a serif font as well as the facility a sans-serif font would offer. I have always wanted a newspaper like this.

Muralikrishnan Ramasamy,
Chennai

Trendy

I congratulate The Hindu for donning a trendy and contemporary look and balancing it with its classical journalistic roots.

Prateek Badwelkar,
Gwalior, M.P.

The guide to the new look paper highlighting the key element of the changes was an excellent idea. Keep changing as you go along.

N. Nagarajan,
Hyderabad

Thanks for the new look. This was a long-felt need of readers like me.

A good layout, enough white space, margin, readable fonts, large photographs in black and white as well as in colour  all these help people like me to read without straining the eyes.

M.C. Krishna Prasad,
Bangalore

Compulsions?

The new look seems to have become inevitable from the business point of view. But as a reader of 20 years, it was a let down that too on an auspicious day. Too much of visuals have cut down news drastically. I was always impressed with the amount of serious news one got to read in The Hindu . But there is hardly anything now.

K.S. Mahesh,
Bangalore

A great idea to make The Hindu more reader-friendly. But somehow I am not happy. I used to take a whole day reading The Hindu . Today (April 14) I finished reading almost the whole of it in 15 minutes.

J.P. Sastry,
Hyderabad

I am unhappy at the new format. So many newspapers have fallen victim to the so-called "contemporary trend."

But I never expected a newspaper of your stature to succumb to the "synthetic and soul-less" appearance.

Seshagiri Row Karry,
Hyderabad

Not necessary

The mainstays of this 126-year paper are its ethics, truth-telling, justice and above all, presentation of news. It does not require any artificial embellishments. The new look, although attractive, was not necessary.

Kamal Sani,
Hyderabad

The new-look paper is good only in parts. The old design, especially the front page, was much better. It was contemporary and more pleasing.

Suresh A. Pai,
Chennai

We wondered whether it was The Hindu or The Pioneer. It is a pity that market considerations made you go in for redesigning.

Binu Peter & Susan Peter,
New Delhi

The Hindu 's old design, typeface, and layout were very pleasing to the eye and made it stand out from the other newspapers. Your new look makes it commonplace and no different from other newspapers.

Remember Coca Cola? It messed with its true and tried formula and faced the ire of the public, and had to bring it back as Coke Classic. I want my old newspaper back.

C.S. Ramalingam,
Chennai

The newspaper has lost its unique presentation and majestic appearance by switching over to a new design. It bears an ordinary look like other dailies.

P.R. Bharathwaj,
Chennai

The new front page is not as attractive as the old one except for the box-type headlines.

The old format had carved a niche for itself in the minds of millions of your readers.

M. Md. Sadakathulla,
Chennai

Though it is not good to comment on the new look given the effort it must have taken, I feel the originality has gone.

S. Viswanathan,

Madurai, T.N.

The layout is okay. Have your editorials not shrivelled a bit? It appears so. The Hindu was not only a sumptuous breakfast for the pensioners but used to be a grain-bank for all thinkers and professionals.

The articles on the editorial page were excellent. I wish The Hindu remains the same in content.

K.P. Balasubrahmanya,
Kodagu, Karnataka

I was shocked with the paper today. A regular reader of your paper for more than three decades, I have fond memories of G.K. Reddy and others who shaped The Hindu .

K.K. Katyal, F.J. Khergamvala, and Pran Chopra have enthralled me. The new look paper scores poorly on projection of news stories. In fact one has to search for stories in the new format; the thick outline of news stories in the old design caught the reader's attention quickly.

C.S. Ramakrishnan,
Coimbatore

Sadly, the New Year attempt at a new layout has turned out to be an eyesore. It is a clutter of cut and paste with more large-sized photographs and revenue-generating advertisements, and minimal news coverage.

T.S. Gopal,
Chennai

Give us time

For the old timers, it may take some time for the new look to register. Anyway, what matters most for The Hindu readers, is not its body but its spirit, which has never compromised ethics even when the print media in general are being carried away by the growing permissiveness of contemporary society.

Suresh Manoharan,
Hyderabad

A great effort has no doubt gone into redesigning The Hindu but I feel it will take sometime for readers accustomed to the earlier version to adjust.

V. Mahalingam,
Chennai

It was like going through a different newspaper. I think it will take some time for us, the old timers, to accept the new look.